Crocker Farm Parent Guardian Organization: Supporting our children, teachers, and the Crocker Farm community through family events & activities, and through fundraising for field trips, classroom mini-grants, and more.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Does your child participate in the Munson Library summer reading program? Have you ever taken your kids to Sing With Your Baby at the Jones? Do you sometimes out a pass for free or reduced admission to various museums? The Friends sponsor all those and more.

And now they're asking for our help in supporting both the Friends and downtown restaurants. Dine at Osteria Vespa on June 8, Chez Albert on July 27, or Judie's on August 10 and a portion of that evening's proceeds will go to the Friends.

The South Amherst Congregational Church (part of the United Church of Christ) is looking for an Education Director. Ideally this candidate is organized, enjoys working with children, can manage teachers, and is creative. The job is 25 hours a week (flexible hours) for 25k and four weeks paid vacation. Here is the list of responsibilities:

Coordinates the Sunday school calendar

Recruits, trains, and supports Sunday school teachers and nursery attendants

Designs and ensures the proper implementation of Sunday school curriculum

Maintains contact with current families and serves as an ambassador for the CE program to potential families

Works collaboratively with local churches to provide programming and faith formation for youth group

Assists the Pastor in maintaining an active social media presence to extend the reach of our ministry

Coordinates and encourages participation in programs that nurture our faith and family lives through education, service, fellowship and worship

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

The musical is this Wednesday. Come enjoy & see the amazing show that the 5th & 6th graders, teachers & staff have put together, & have been working so hard on these past few months. Free admission.

The 5th grade classes will be running a bake sale for charity at the evening show. All proceeds will go to their selected cause, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, through Ocean Conservancy (www.oceanconservancy.org). Learn more about the Great Barrier Reef and threats to its ecosystem HERE.

We cordially invite you to the Black Scholars Rising Celebration on May 24 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
in the middle school auditorium. At the event, we will collectively
recognize all Black/African American students grades K-12. There will
be a rising ceremony for those students transitioning to grades 7 and 9
as well as graduating seniors. This cultural event will include food
and entertainment. Please RSVP by calling Yahidra Torres at 413-362-1810 or by email at torresy@arps.org.

Friday, May 20, 2016

The beautiful Crocker Farm CAREs T-shirts can be ordered at this link: SHIRTS

The yearbook order form is here YEARBOOK(should be printed out; no online orders at this time - sorry)Few extras are ordered, so please place an order to ensure availability. THANK YOU! HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

The first t-shirt sale was quite successful. We sold well over a hundred shirts and raised $250 for Crocker Farm and Big Brothers/Big Sisters. We are going to run the sale a second time. Proceeds will be used to provide summer scholarships for Achievement Academy LSSE camps and to purchase equipment for the Crocker Farm recess cart. Please consider buying one or more t-shirts for your family. The orders are due by Friday, May 20 and we'll be handing out the shirts at Crocker Farm in late May.

The shirt is available in a variety of colors and sizes, from youth x-small all the way up to adult 4XL. There are also women’s cuts available. All shirts cost less than $10 (price varies according to color and size of shirt. Any “change” from cash or checks will be added to the scholarship fund). There is a t-shirt scholarship fund. Please send in the form with the scholarship request marked and we will contact you to arrange for the scholarship.

Show your school pride while supporting Crocker Farm all at the same time!

Only a limited extra number of yearbooks are ordered, so please order by May 16th to ensure availability. Yearbooks are available at no cost for income-qualifying families; a yearbook order form is still required(the no cost request will be kept confidential).

ADVERTISING STILL BEING ACCEPTED. The Yearbook volunteers are still accepting business advertising for the Crocker Farm yearbook. It is a great way to reach lots of elementary school families & costs as little as $25 for a small ad. More details are available at thisearlier postand on the business advertising form HERE.

The UMass Amherst Department of Chemistry is hosting its 3rd Annual
Chemistry Demonstration Night.It is sure to be full of exciting
chemical phenomenon!When: Friday May 13th from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.Where: UMass Amherst Campus, Integrated Sciences Building Room 135Big Hero 6 Night will offer you a fun encounter with representatives of the UMass, Hadley, and Amherst police and fire departments.When: Friday, May 13th, starting at 5 PM • 5-7:45 p.m.: Free BBQ and the opportunity for all to explore the many interactive displays. Free Child Passenger Safety Seat Checkpoint.• 7:45-9:30 p.m.: Free outdoor showing of the movie Finding Nemo and free popcorn. Bring chairs and blankets to sit on.Where: Southwest Horseshoe on University Drive at UMass Amherst.Rain location: Curry Hicks Cage at UMass.

They'll have interactive displays for people of all ages to enjoy. Explore the public-safety vehicles, try on different gear used by public-safety personnel, and get all of your questions about police and fire-fighting work answered by those who do it.This is not a school-sponsored event.

** Numerous current Crocker Farm & other ARPS students & alums are in the show. **

Starlight’s Youth Theatre invites you to take a journey with them Into The Woods

The success of Disney’s Into The Woods movie starring Meryl Streep has revived the original Tony-Award-winning Broadway musical version by Stephen Sondheim and you can see many of your friends on the Academy of Music stage. This musical brings favorite fairy tale characters such as Cinderella (Kira Cairn), Little Red Riding Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk to life; they set off to make their wishes come true but soon learn to be careful what they wish for as witches, giants and wolves loom.

Into the Woods at the Northampton Academy of MusicMay 13 at 7 p.m.May 14 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.May 15 at 2 p.m.

The
Amherst and The University of Massachusetts Police Departments
are pleased to announce the dates of the seventh annual Police Youth
Adventure Academy!

The 2016 Amherst and Umass Police Youth Adventure Academy is a ONE week program, being held Monday July 18 to Friday July 22, 2016 from 8:30AM to 4:00PM. Youth entering 6th, 7th, 8th grades are eligible to attend.
The cost is FREE and academy size is limited to 20 youth, so
preference will be given to Amherst residents and Umass affiliated
families (ex. parent/guardian are employees or students at UMASS).

Similar to a Citizens Police Academy, students will attend morning
classroom sessions held at both the Amherst and Umass Police Departments
with lectures, role-plays and interactive demonstrations by Amherst and
UMASS police officers in the areas of law, crime scene investigation,
defensive tactics and patrol procedures, to name just a few.
Most afternoon sessions will be held at our Adventure Based Ropes
Course at the Norwottuck Range where we will promote teamwork,
communication and offers opportunities to develop positive relationships
with the police officers.

The Amherst and Umass Police Youth Adventure Academy will provide those
participating with lunch each day at the Umass Dining Common.

All students will need to have transportation to the UMASS Police
Department each morning for a 8:30AM start (not earlier!), and picked up
each afternoon from the UMASS Police Department promptly at 4:00PM.

The Amherst
Charter Commission will be holding its first public hearing on
Thursday May 12, 2016 in the Amherst Regional
Middle School Auditorium beginning at 7 p.m.,
for a community conversation about Amherst and its values
about Town government.

We invite
participants to share their thoughts on questions such as the
following:

·What aspects of
Amherst's current approach to government do you like?

·What aspects do you
think could be improved?

·What do you see as key
challenges facing Amherst?

·How can we improve our
Town government’s ability to meet those challenges?

·Any other thoughts or
feedback you would like to provide?

Residents will be
able to provide input verbally (2 minute limit each) and/or in
writing at the event. Residents can also provide their
answers to the questions above using the Public Input Form
link on the Charter Commission webpage (see below).

The work of the
Charter Commission can be followed online atwww.amherstma.gov (look for “Charter
Commission” on the “Boards and Committees” page).

Feedback is also
welcome via email atcharter@amherstma.gov. Other
opportunities for input from residents, staff, and other
stakeholders will be forthcoming.

Monday, May 2, 2016

Thurs, May 5th, 6:30 pm. Kindergarten-2nd grade concert. Fri, May 6th, 8:50 am. Coffee with the Principal & Assistant Principal, in the school lobby. Topic: standardized testing. Also tomorrow, May 3rd is Valley Gives Day, a day of philanthropy to support non-profit organizations and community groups in Western Mass. Please consider giving to the Crocker Farm PGO on Valley Gives Day. Donations as small as $10 accepted, & every donation is greatly appreciated. Also, the Community Foundation of Western Mass will add a $50 bonus to the first 500 donations made by new Valley Gives participants (new donors determined by email address). Valley Gives runs from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm on Tuesday. Thank you for your support! Next week:MCAS start again for students in grades 3-6. Check cf.arps.org for the schedule. May 11th: early dismissal day, 1:20 pm

We hope that you all
had a great April vacation week and enjoyed the lovely weather.

Right before the
April break, the Crocker Farm PGO held one of our favorite events of the year:
our used book swap. Over two days, we gave away more than 1,500 books, and each
preschool through sixth grade student was able to bring home at least three
books to keep. The remaining books went to classes, the school’s afterschool
program and more.We couldn’t have done
the swap without the volunteers who sorted and set up the books before the swap
and who staffed the swap for each class visit. We are grateful too for all the
wonderful book donations, both used books and new. Thank you all!

Upcoming PGO events:

·Tues, May 3rd. This is the fourth annual Valley Gives
Day, a day of philanthropy to support non-profit organizations in Western Mass.
Since 2012, Valley Gives has engaged over 24,000 donors and raised $5.8 million
for over 550 area non-profits. Please
consider giving to Crocker Farm PGO on Valley Gives Day. (http://valleygives.razoo.com/us/story/Crocker-Farm-Parent-Guardian-Organization).
Valley Gives Day includes special bonus prizes, including Power Hours and
Golden Ticket prizes which will randomly add $500 or $1,000 to a given
donation. There will also be $50 prizes added to donations made by new Valley
Gives donors (a person who did not participate in Valley Gives in 2012, 2013,
or 2014; new donors determined by email address). 500 such new donor prizes
will be awarded (first come, first serve). If you have never given through
Valley Gives before, this is a great opportunity and means that your $10
donation could turn into $60, or your $50 donation into $100.

·Thursday, May 5th. Bus Driver and Crossing Guard
Appreciation Breakfast, at the start of the school day. This is the PGO’s
annual event to say “Thank You!” to Crocker Farm’s bus and van drivers and
crossing guards who help our children get to and from school and keep them safe
every day. The PGO is seeking baked goods and other breakfast food for the
event.Please let us know if you can
help.

·Friday, May 6th, 8:50 am. Coffee with the Principal and
Assistant Principal, in the school lobby. Topic: standardized testing. All
parents and guardians are welcome; small children are too.

·Wednesday, June 1st. PGO’s annual Teacher and Staff
Appreciation Luncheon to say “Thanks!” for all they do throughout the year. The
PGO will be seeking volunteers to help serve.

·June, date tbd. Crocker Farm Field Day. The PGO will once
again be staffing a watermelon and water table for Field Day. We will be
looking for people to help out on the day, and to supply watermelons for each
class. Mr. James is also often looking for volunteers to help with Field Day events.Stay tuned for more info and watch for signup
sheets soon.

The
PGO is seeking still volunteers to serve on the Crocker Farm PGO Board for next
school year, including as chair/co-chair, class parent coordinator, and other
board members. If you are interested in serving as a PGO officer or in finding
out more, please contact the PGO. There are also always other volunteer
opportunities to help with the PGO in smaller ways. The PGO appreciates everyone’s help so much!

üLearn practical, simple tools to reduce stress, easy to integrate into your life starting now.üForm new connections and deepen existing ones in a supportive circle of mothers.üFind comfort and balance in your body.üUncover your intention and create a powerful affirmation to support you in meeting your goals in the months ahead.üLeave feeling relaxed, renewed, refreshed – so that you can be more present for your kids as well as for yourself.

Designed for moms of infants through teens, this retreat is an opportunity to learn & embrace simple, effective, and lasting relaxation techniques, time & stress management skills, and tools to lead a mindful and self-compassion led life. The morning will be comprised of guided meditations, breathing exercises, simple yoga for pain relief and increased energy, prompted journaling for self-discovery, and encouraging and supportive discussions. All this, plus breakfast and a beautiful bag of goodies from local practitioners and businesses.

DATE: Saturday, May 14, 2016

TIME: 9:00 – 1:00 (Registration and breakfast at 8:30. Program starts at 9.)

“[This retreat] was a beautiful slow down…Hearing other mamas in various stages of parenthood was a great reminder that the experience is indeed universal in that we love, hurt, and want the best for our families all while we work every day to be our best selves. The struggle is real AND you all helped me remember the abundance of this experience.” – mom of two, past retreat participant

We are a small, creative camp community of about 75 campers and 25 staff. We offer two 2 week sessions each summer. Our 1st session is almost full, but we have plenty of space in the 2nd session. Since there is space, I'm able to discount the tuition for any campers enrolling at this stage. For some children/teens, camp is out of reach financially, so this is an amazing opportunity for them to join our small, creative camp community.

Dates for the 2nd session are July 24 - August 6. Below is a short blurb about this opportunity.

Maine Arts Camp - discounted 2 week session available!

Maine Arts Camp is a small, creative camp community of 75 campers and 25 staff. We offer two 2 week sessions for children & teens ages 9-16. The 1st session is full, but the 2nd session, which runs from July 24 - August 6, has space available for boys and girls. We are willing to offer discounts to students who are interested in the arts, music, theater, dance, technology, film making, cooking and more... Our camp is now in its 12th summer and is located on the campus of Unity College. Starting summer 2017, we will be moving to Colby College. To learn more about this amazing opportunity, interested families should contact Rick Mades, Camp Director, at 561-865-4330 or maineartscamprick@gmail.com.